LONDON, Nov 17 (Reuters) - The part of the British
parliament housing the offices of many lawmakers was briefly
evacuated on Monday due to a suspicious package before staff
were allowed to re-enter the building.

A spokeswoman for London's Metropolitan Police said
Portcullis House, an office building opposite the Houses of
Parliament and above Westminster underground station, was
evacuated while police investigated.

Police on the scene said the station had also been closed,
and police motorbikes could be seen blocking cars and members of
the public from entering the road.

Britain's security threat level was raised to its
second-highest level in August due to risks posed by Islamic
State fighters returning from Iraq and Syria. Security analysts
say foreign fighters in Iraq and Syria now number in the
thousands.

Last month, armed soldiers were deployed at a top tourist
attraction in the heart of London's government district as a
precautionary measure after an Islamist gunman attacked the
Canadian parliament.
(Reporting by William James, Kylie MacLellan and Costas Pitas;
Editing by Ralph Boulton)